Cool bears arrive at Columbus Zoo’s new polar exhibit

Twin polar bears, Aurora and Anana, arrived today at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, in Ohio. The three-year-old females are the first residents of Polar Frontier, a U.S.$ 20 million exhibit opening at the zoo this spring. Photo by Paul Selvaggio of the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium The bears were born at the Toledo...

February 19, 2010

Twin polar bears, Aurora and Anana, arrived today at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, in Ohio. The three-year-old females are the first residents of Polar Frontier, a U.S.$ 20 million exhibit opening at the zoo this spring.

The name “Aurora” is in reference to the northern polar lights and “Anana” is an Inuit word meaning “pretty,” the zoo said in the caption released with this photo.

“The residents of central Ohio spoke and we listened,” said executive director Dale Schmidt. “It’s been more than 20 years since polar bears were at the Columbus Zoo and they are back by popular demand.”

The bear’s new home includes a 1.32-acre yard with two pools, smell ports, dig pits and shelters. A 167,000-gallon pool will allow visitors to view the bears from above, at eye-level, and below. The other pool is a surge pool with a tidal effect, providing enrichment with various depths and moving water.

An interpretive center focusing on polar bears and climate change will also provide guests information on ways to practice conservation at home, the zoo added.

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